Sherdog Pick’Em Trends: UFC 149 ‘Faber vs. Barao’

Renan
“Barao” Pegado last tasted defeat in his professional debut on
April 14, 2005. Twenty-eight victories -- and one no contest --
later, the Brazilian stands just one fight away from
UFC gold. Players in Sherdog.com’s MMA Pick’Em fantasy
game like his winning streak to continue, as 53 percent have chosen
him to defeat former WEC featherweight titlist Urijah Faber
in the UFC
149 main event in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on Saturday. The
winner will receive the promotion’s interim bantamweight belt.

Barao has gone 5-0 during his time in the UFC and
WEC, most recently notching a unanimous decision victory
against Scott
Jorgensen at UFC 143. The
Nova Uniao product, who also owns Octagon triumphs against Brad
Picket and Cole
Escovedo, has finished 19 of his 28 victims by knockout,
technical knockout or submission.

Faber’s move to 135 pounds has proven fruitful so far, with
victories against Eddie
Wineland and Brian
Bowles in the UFC. He came up short, however, in his first
title shot against Dominick
Cruz at UFC 132, falling to “The Dominator” via unanimous
decision.

UFC 149 takes place at the Scotiabank Saddledome and also features
a key middleweight showdown between Hector
Lombard and Tim Boetsch.
Despite Boetsch’s edge in Octagon experience, a whopping 85 percent
of participants are siding with Lombard in the bout. The former
Bellator Fighting Championships 185-pound king, Lombard brings
a 25-fight unbeaten streak into his Octagon debut. “Lightning” last
competed at Bellator 58 in November, knocking out Trevor
Prangley in the second round.

Boetsch , meanwhile, has found a home at middleweight, going 3-0
since dropping from 205 pounds last year. “The Barbarian” owns
victories over Kendall
Grove, Nick Ring and
Yushin
Okami in his new weight class.

• Brian
Ebersole is by far the most lopsided favorite on the card, as
98 percent have selected the 31-year-old to defeat James Head.
Ebersole is unbeaten in four UFC appearances, most recently besting
T.J.
Waldburger at UFC on FX 4 last month, while Head submitted
Papy
Abedi in his last outing at UFC on Fuel TV 2;

• The majority of competitors (72 percent) like Chris
Clements to defeat Matt Riddle
in a welterweight scrap. A Team Tompkins protégé, Clements defeated
Keith
Wisniewski at UFC 145 in his promotional debut. Riddle’s entire
nine-fight professional career has come under the UFC banner. Most
recently, he stopped a two-fight losing skid with a split-decision
triumph against Henry
Martinez at UFC 143;